NOT A great deal to report so far on the Highland 2007 front. After the initial splash of the launch in Inverness and the opening of the Fonn ‘s Duthchas exhibition, things have quietened down.

The big events will come along in due course, although March does have what should be a spectacular union of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra with the Highland Region Youth Orchestra in Aviemore (see Lynn Johnson’s ArtsFolk piece for more info), while the Celtic Film & Television Festival alights on Skye at the end of the month.

For now, though, H2007’s presence is fairly muted, although a lot of the smaller events are currently being bolstered by funding from the project, and their work behind the scenes carries on apace. Their e-mail newsletter is now up and running as well, and you can subscribe for regular updates at the H2007 website.

Our lead interview this month features visual artist Matt Baker, who brings us up to date with the current state of play in the visual arts component of the Inverness city centre regeneration project, and shares his views on the city itself and its cultural standing with Georgina Coburn.

The member company that was scheduled to be featured in our regular HITN Profile has declined to participate, and are reviewing their ongoing participation, so we have no new profile this month. ArtsFolk does resume, however, with a piece from Lynn Johnson on the arts scene in my own patch in Badenoch & Strathspey.

Wolfstone have released a new album, ‘Terra Firma’, launched with a short tour that included a gig at the Ironworks in Inverness last month. To mark the fact, we have chosen our interview with Duncan Chisholm from January 2005 as this month’s From the Archive feature.

As ever, keep checking back for more news, reviews and features, and remember that you can still have your say in the Culture Bill consultation, which remains open until 31 March. A copy of the draft bill can be read or downloaded from the Scottish Executive website at the link below, and the consultation process is explained in that document.

The Draft Culture Bill can be found at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/12/14095224/0

Kenny Mathieson
Commissioning Editor, Northings

Kenny Mathieson lives and works in Boat of Garten, Strathspey. He studied American and English Literature at the University of East Anglia, graduating with a BA (First Class) in 1978, and a PhD in 1983. He has been a freelance writer on various arts-related subjects since 1982, and contributes to the Inverness Courier, The Scotsman, The Herald, The List, Times Educational Supplement Scotland, and other publications. He has contributed to numerous reference books, and has written books on jazz and Celtic music.